Boston Blue’s Donnie Wahlberg Addresses Danny and Maria’s Heartbreaking Split: ‘It’s TV!’ (Exclusive)

Boston Blue is about to face the wrath of Blue Bloods usweekly fans after breaking up a beloved couple.

During the Friday, April 17, episode of the CBS series, Danny Reagan’s (Donnie Wahlberg) girlfriend, Maria Baez (Marisa Ramirez), returned to help with a case. Their dynamic, however, was off and Maria later revealed that she was struggling with her mother’s deteriorating mental health after a Parkinson’s diagnosis. She surprised Danny — and viewers — by hitting pause on their relationship.

“She’s in a crisis. She’s not sure what to do,” Wahlberg, 56, exclusively told Us Weekly at CBS Fest on Wednesday, April 15. “Danny is very stubborn [though so] he ain’t going down without a fight.”

Wahlberg, who has played Danny since 2010, urged fans not to worry too much yet, adding, “They must hold out hope for [them to] rekindle [their romance].” Wahlberg’s onscreen costar — and Danny’s partner — Sonequa Martin-Green weighed in on the twist.

“I would love [to see them back together],” she gushed. “I love Marissa and I think that they’re lovely together.”

According to Wahlberg, there is a plan to “stretch” out the journey for Danny and Maria.

“I grew up watching General Hospital and All My Children and [I remember when] Laura disappeared,” he recalled “Laura disappeared and Luke was heartbroken and everyone’s like, ‘Oh man. Laura quit the show.’ Guess what? She came back and he ran and he hugged her. Then she left again. But that’s OK, it’s TV!”

Elsewhere in the episode, Sarah’s (Maggie Lawson) personal life was much more successful with Seth (Mike Vogel) popping the question moments before Danny and Maria’s split.

“One of the things I love most about our show is that’s life,” Lawson, 45, noted. “That’s human and that’s real. Sometimes when these beautiful celebrations happen, it’s a reminder of other painful things that people are going through and it can be a catalyst for something not so easy.”

She continued: “I love that we showed that in the way that we did but it’s also really heartbreaking. So I would say, I’m sorry that we were the ones to bring on that really brutal conversation.”

Lawson told Us she was “always hopeful for love” when it came to Danny and Maria. Her costar Gloria Reuben, however, was “a little more jaded,” telling Us, “I always hope for a couple of days then I’m like no.”

Boston Blue airs on CBS Fridays at 10 p.m. ET. New episodes stream the next day on Paramount+.